THE SUSPECT (2019)

The Suspect by Fiona Barton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the third book in which reporter Kate Waters is featured but can be read as a stand alone. I was often surprised by the twists and turns, which kept me reading past my bedtime.

This is Fiona Barton's third mystery following The Widow (2016) and The Child (2017). Scanning reviews revealed this is considered a series and certainly Barton has found a formula that works. Each book is told by three different participants, one of which is journalist Kate Waters.

FIRST SENTENCE: "The call comes at three a.m."

THE STORY: Two young girls travel to Thailand for a gap year adventure and then go missing. Told from three viewpoints (the Mother, the Detective, and the Journalist), the author creates sympathetic, if imperfect, characters.

Alex was supposed to go to Thailand with a good friend. Instead the friend cancelled and Rosie volunteered to take her place. Alex has carefully planned the trip but Rosie only wants to party. After a couple of weeks, they both disappear and it is obvious something bad has happened. Complicating things for Kate, is the fact that her son has also gone off the grid in Thailand. 
  
The puzzle is who is telling the truth (and is it the whole truth?) and who is lying. The answers slowly come into focus.

QUOTES: ". . .we look for the familiar in everything, don't we? We look to anchor ourselves in safe waters."

"When I hit a dead end in a story, my instinct is always to go back to the beginning and see what I missed ."

WHAT I THOUGHT: I wasn't sure I wanted to read this book based on what I knew about the plot, but once I started reading, I was totally immersed. The exotic locale, the variety of voices, and the mystery itself were all compelling due to the careful plotting and excellent story telling skills of Fiona Barton.

BOTTOM LINE: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. You'll want to read ALL the books in the series.

Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Berkley (January 22, 2019)
ISBN-10: 1101990511
ISBN-13: 978-1101990513
 
DISCLAIMER: I received a free e-copy of  The Suspect by Fiona Barton from NetGalley/Berkley  for my honest review.